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Peter Laviolette
| birth_place = Franklin, Massachusetts | ntl_team = USA | draft = Undrafted | career_start = 1986 | career_end = 1997 }} Peter Laviolette (born on December 7, 1964) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman and current head coach of the National Hockey League's [[Nashville Predators|'Nashville Predators']]. He has previously held this position with the New York Islanders, Carolina Hurricanes, and the Philadelphia Flyers. In 2006, he coached the Hurricanes to a Stanley Cup. Playing Career Peter played college ice hockey at Westfield State College in Westfield, Massachusetts. As a player, he spent the majority of his ten-year career playing for various minor league teams. He played 12 games in the NHL for the New York Rangers during the 1988–89 season. Peter also played for the United States in the Olympics twice (1988 and 1994). Coaching Career Peter began his coaching career as head coach of the ECHL Wheeling Nailers. In one season as coach, he led his team to a 37–24–9 record and a berth in the playoffs, where they lost in the third round. Peter left Wheeling to take over the head coaching job for the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League (AHL). In 1998–99, he coached the team to a 56–15–4 regular-season record. In the playoffs, Providence won the AHL Calder Cup Championship with a 15–4 playoff record. Peter was named the AHL Coach of the Year. Peter's success in the AHL earned him a stint as an assistant coach for the Boston Bruins. Having grown up in the Boston suburb of Franklin, he was disappointed when he did not get the head coaching job in Boston after that season, so he left for the head coaching job on Long Island. After taking over the New York Islanders, which had suffered seven years of post-season futility prior to his arrival, Peter led his team to the playoffs in both seasons he was there. Peter's first season in New York resulted in a surprisingly consistent season in which the Islanders earned 96 points (42–28–8–4 record), nearly winning the Atlantic Division before losing a close playoff series to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Islanders sneaked into the playoffs the next season and then lost in five games to the Ottawa Senators in the first round. Peter came to the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2003–04 season, taking over following the firing of Paul Maurice. In his first season, he coached 52 games during a rebuilding year. Peter led the Hurricanes to an excellent regular season during his second year at the helm, winning the Southeast Division with 112 points (52–22–8 record). He also coached the U.S. Olympic men's hockey team at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. The Hurricanes won their first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history during the 2006 playoffs, after winning two very close seven-game playoff series over the Buffalo Sabres and Edmonton Oilers. Peter was only the fourth American-born coach to win it. He was also the runner-up for the Jack Adams Award for the NHL's Coach of the Year, which was awarded to Lindy Ruff in the closest vote ever recorded for this award, 155–154. After winning their first Stanley Cup, Peter's Hurricanes suffered through an injury-plagued 2006–07 season that saw the team finish with a disappointing 40–34–8 record. The next season, the team once again got off to a poor start, but held first place in a weak division for most of the season, despite having a sub-.500 record until February. The team then got hot and built what was seen as a solid lead. However, the Washington Capitals got red hot in the final weeks, Carolina lost several games down the stretch, and Laviolette's group missed the post-season. On November 7, 2008, following his 240th victory, Peter moved past John Tortorella to become the most winningest American-born coach in the NHL. Tortorella later eclipsed this record in 2009. On December 3, 2008, Peter was fired as coach of the Hurricanes and replaced by his predecessor, Paul Maurice. He also worked on the panel for the TV network TSN. On December 4, 2009, Peter replaced John Stevens as the head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers. Barely making it into the playoffs thanks to a shootout victory over rival New York Rangers, Peter's Flyers became only the third ever NHL team to come back from a 3–0 series deficit, defeating the Boston Bruins 4–3 in Game 7 to reach the 2010 Eastern Conference Finals. On May 24, 2010, he led the Flyers to the Stanley Cup Finals against the Chicago Blackhawks. The Finals went six games, with Chicago winning the Cup in overtime on June 9. On April 1, 2012, in a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Peter jawed with Penguins Head Coach Dan Bylsma after Penguin Joe Vitale hit Flyer Daniel Briere late in the game. Dave swung a stick against the boards which broke in half and continued to verbally go after Bylsma and Assistant Coach Tony Granato, an American teammate of his during the 1988 Winter Olympics. Peter's fiery temper and preference for intense play has turned him into a fan favorite in blue-collar Philadelphia. The HBO series "24/7: Flyers/Rangers" leading up to the 2012 Winter Classic gave fans rare access to the Flyers locker room, and many of Peter's quotes became popular catch-phrases, such as, "We need to start playing with some jam" and "It's about as casual as it gets." Peter himself acknowledged the popularity of his "jam" catch-phrase by making a video for the Flyers 2012 Fan Appreciation Game thanking Philadelphia fans for "bringing more jam than any other city in sports." For the Flyers' Game 6 Eastern Conference Quarter-final game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Flyers gave away orange shirts to all fans attending featuring an angry likeness of Peter and the phrase, "Time for some JAM!!" After a 0–3 start of the 2013–14 season by the Flyers, Peter was fired October 7, 2013. He was replaced by Assistant Coach Craig Berube. On May 6, 2014, Peter was hired to become the head coach of the Nashville Predators. He replaced Barry Trotz, who served 15 years as head coach of the Predators and the only coach the franchise had seen. He and his Nashville staff were chosen to coach one of the teams in the 2015 NHL All-Star Game for having the highest points percentage in the NHL through January 8, 2015. Peter guided the Predators to a franchise record ninth consecutive home win with a 4–3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on February 4, 2015. During the 2015-16 season, he guided the Predators to a new franchise record 14-game point streak. Career Statistics Regular season and playoffs International Coaching Record Personal Life Peter and his wife Kristen have three children; two sons, Peter III, Jack, and one daughter, Elisabeth. The Laviolettes reside in Nashville, Tennessee. Category:American ice hockey coaches Category:American hockey players Category:Binghamton Rangers player Category:Carolina Hurricanes coaches Category:Colorado Rangers player Category:Denver Rangers player Category:Flint Spirits player Category:Indianapolis Checkers player Category:New York Islanders coaches Category:New York Rangers players Category:Olympic ice hockey players of the United States Category:Providence Bruins player Category:Stanley Cup champions Category:United States national men's ice hockey team coaches Category:1988 Olympian Category:1994 Olympian Category:NHL coaches Category:American ice hockey players Category:Philadelphia Flyers coaches Category:1964 births Category:Undrafted National Hockey League players Category:San Diego Gulls (IHL) players